Youngcare Annual Review 2015-2016 Our Supporters Foundation Partner Adria Downs Station Birdsville Fuel Service Albany Creek DA Hall & Co Dominique Wiseman Event Management Perpetual Foundation - Hardcastle Family Endowment 1 Jacques keystone PRIVATE RJ Loveday VALUERS & PROPERTY CONSULTANTS The Marian The CM & JA Whitehouse The Pratten The Samuel Nissen The Stan & Maureen & E.H. Flack Trust Foundation Foundation Charitable Foundation Duke Foundation 2 The Issue EACH YOUNG D ay , 7,000 AUSTRALIANS WAKE UP IN AGED CARE AND 700,000 MORE ARE BEING CARED FOR at HOME BY LOVED ONES OFTEN WITH VEry LIMITED SUPPOrt. The typical age of a person living in aged care is 84, with an average life expectancy of just three years1. The needs and aspirations of a young person with high care needs typically differ greatly to those of older residents, meaning specific care needs are often not being met. Regardless of their care needs, young people should be living their young lives with choice, independence and dignity. Youngcare works to champion the voices of young Australians with high care needs, raising awareness and funds to resolve this critical national issue. 1Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011. Who We Are OUR MISSION OUR VISION OUR INSPIratION To help young people avoid or exit Our vision is for a future Shevaune Conry and all young people with aged care right now. We also aim to develop high care needs. viable and replicable models to solve the where all young people In 2005, four mates vowed to change the problem once and for all, giving young with high care needs live the considerable gap in care provision for young people with high care needs the choice in Aussies with high care needs when at the care and accommodation they deserve. young lives they deserve. age of just 33 Shevaune Conry, who had multiple sclerosis, ended up living in aged OUR PURPOSE care. It was the only place that could provide To improve the lives of young people with for her 24/7 care needs. With the purpose to high care needs by providing them with a create brighter futures for young people with choice of age-appropriate care, underpinned high care needs, Youngcare was born. by research-led, innovative solutions. 4 Chairman’s Report What a year it has been; championing the MS Queensland, this innovative new development Thank you for your loyalty, passion and Youngcare cause, celebrating our 10th anniversary will be home to eight young people with high care commitment to making a real difference in in 2015 and now looking to the next decade and needs, featuring a new two-bedroom apartment the lives of others. beyond as we continue to make a real difference in model where residents will live independently with the lives of young Aussies with high care needs. age-appropriate, dignified care. Other planned I would like to extend a special thank you to developments in 2016/17 include Wooloowin II, Samantha Kennerley, who resigned as Chief At Youngcare we work to find and implement Brisbane; Auburn, Sydney and Tweed Heads in Executive Officer of Youngcare in August 2016. solutions for what continues to be a broad and Northern New South Wales. Since early 2014, Sam was instrumental in guiding complex issue. As 7,000 young Australians wake the organisation towards its mission of helping In the coming financial year we will bring up in aged care each morning, and 700,000 more young people with high care needs to live the young considerable focus to our ongoing work with our live at home with limited support, we at Youngcare lives they deserve. Our vision of a future where continue working toward our mission to help young research partners to provide evidence-based no young person has to call aged care “home” people with high care needs to exit and avoid design and care models with real lived experience. remains, as newly appointed Chief Executive admission into aged care. Youngcare is also working to continue to strengthen Officer, Anthony Ryan joins the Youngcare team In 2015/16 we’ve been busy working collaboratively our rigor in the advocacy arena to ensure young in November 2016. Anthony is passionate and with the community, corporate supporters and people with high care needs are represented in the committed to the Youngcare cause and brings a government to build a solid foundation for the future community at a government and policy level. In focus on strong strategic growth that is essential as of Youngcare, as well as ensuring we are effective 2015/16, Youngcare was proud to put forward a we move through this next important stage. right now in supporting as many young Aussies record 10 policy submissions to state and federal with high care needs as possible. government, and in 2016/17 we will continue to A final thank you to Chief Operating Officer, share our knowledge to help young people with Melissa Morrison for stewarding the organisation Thanks to our incredible supporters, this year we high care needs navigate the roll-out of the National as interim CEO throughout the transition period. provided grant funding to 122 deserving young Disability Insurance Scheme. people with high care needs. In total we distributed We hope you enjoy reading this year’s Annual $944,735 in At Home Care Grants and Home Soon We leave 2015/16 as a stronger and more Review: a snapshot of Youngcare’s great progress Grants; this is the equivalent of one person exiting sustainable organisation and with a clear view on over the past year and our journey towards a or avoiding aged care every three days. how to bring about the change required to meet future where no young person has to wake up the future aspirations of young people with high in aged care. In June 2016, we were thrilled to break ground care needs. This is a position we would not be in at Albany Creek, Brisbane, to bring our latest without our amazing supporters, dedicated Board Nic De Luca apartments to life. Working in partnership with of Directors and the tireless Youngcare team. Chairman 5 Case Study Justin is a 53-year-old man home and government refused to fund the money required to cover the costs of care. This left Justin living with facioscapulohumeral in a position where he was effectively being forced muscular dystrophy. Diagnosed at to exit hospital into aged care, something he was approximately age 14, the disease desperate to avoid. has slowly progressed. Via the Youngcare Home Soon Grants, proudly supported by Foundation Partner Suncorp Insurance, Around 15 years ago, Justin required a wheelchair for Justin was provided with a grant to supplement his his mobility which he controls via limited movement government funding for in-home care services, to in one of his hands. He lived in his own apartment in help him achieve his goal of successfully moving Bondi Junction, Sydney as independently as possible home after many months in hospital, and avoid life with delivered services around his needs including in aged care well before his time. hoisting, showering and toileting. In late 2015, Justin was struck by severe aspiration pneumonia and was advised by doctors that he was unlikely to survive. Against all odds, Justin pulled through, but his condition resulted in him needing Justin is extremely excited about this to be PEG fed; sleep with the support of a BIPAP machine; and use a cough assist machine twice daily outcome and finally moving home! to stimulate and suction his lungs. Many thanks to Youngcare – without your help, Justin would have been Justin’s higher needs also presented a major placed in aged care. “systemic” problem. Specifically, the hospital required – Justin’s carer that Justin have overnight care in order to ensure the BIPAP/oxygen was properly monitored. However, his existing government funding would not cover the care required to enable Justin to remain safely at 6 Youngcare is driven by the belief that all young Australians, What We Do regardless of their care needs, should live a young life. With no recurrent government funding, we work to achieve our mission though five key programs: Support Programs Housing Making it Creating change, Campaigning Youngcare’s two grants Solutions all happen together for change programs have delivered To address the critical A supportive and highly With no recurrent government Youngcare takes every more than $3.3 million to fund shortage of specialist disability engaged community is critical funding, Youngcare opportunity to keep the issues essential equipment, home accommodation in Australia, to Youngcare’s success. relies almost entirely on the faced by young people with modifications and respite Youngcare is driving change Our events help raise generosity of our corporate high care needs firmly on the services to enable young and developing replicable awareness across the and community supporters to national agenda, and works people to remain living at and practical age-appropriate community as well as vital achieve our mission to help with all levels of government home with their families, or alternatives to aged care. funds to support Youngcare’s young people with high care to identify solutions and push make the transition out of aged work improving the lives of needs exit or avoid aged care. for policy reform. Youngcare’s housing solutions care to more age-appropriate young people with high From events; to individual currently provide a home Youngcare also works in accommodation. care needs. donations; to hundreds of for 28 residents (39 in total partnership with universities volunteer hours and workplace Youngcare Connect provides since 2007). and sector organisations to giving; to pro bono legal, information to young people undertake extensive research accounting, marketing and with high care needs, their which helps us to better event support – together, we families and carers.